FOUR AND TWENTY BLACKBIRDS

First Published 1959 by Newnes

Illustrated by Lillian Buchanan

first edition wrapper. Click to enlarge (File size=66KB)

first edition dustwrapper
by Lilian Buchanan

The first book in the Brown Family series.

Lucy and her young brother 'Humf' travel down from the midlands to Sussex to join their parents in the town of Malling.
Here they team up with the local vicar's son and with his friends from a local farm and solve the mystery surrounding Galleybird Pit.

First edition: golden brown boards, black lettering on the spine only; 159pp; 9 b/w chapter head illustrations and a map; full colour wrap around dustwrapper.

Other editions:

first Armada edition. Click to enlarge (File size=26KB)

first Armada cover

Armada 1967: re-titled as 'The Secret of Galleybird Pit': 157pp; cover by Peter Archer; illustrated throughout by Lilian Buchanan, though not credited to her; C191; cp 2/6.

Reissued 1971: as C421; new cover; cp 17½p; plan and 9 new chapter head illustrations, not credited; 157pp; reprinted 1975/6 cp 40p

second Armada cover

This page is part of the Malcolm Saville Centenary Website. To enter this site by the front door, click here.

Illustrations copyright the respective Publishers
Text copyright John Allsup
Last updated May 2001